The route at a glance
| Time | Place | Ticket (foreigners) | Time there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Shah-i-Zinda | 80,000 som | 1–1.5 h |
| 10:30 | Bibi-Khanym Mosque | 75,000 som | 30–45 min |
| 11:15 | Siyob Bazaar | free | about 1 h |
| 12:45 | Lunch: plov | — | 1 h |
| 14:30 | Gur-e-Amir | 75,000 som | 45 min |
| 16:00 | Registan | 100,000 som | 2–3 h |
| after dark | Registan lit up, light show in season | free to watch from outside | 30 min |
The five tickets come to about 330,000 som (roughly $27). Prices were last checked in autumn 2026 and went up sharply in mid-2025, so treat them as a guide and check at the gate.
8:30 — Shah-i-Zinda
Start here, before tour groups arrive around 10:00. Shah-i-Zinda is a narrow avenue of mausoleums from the 14th and 15th centuries, each covered in different blue tilework. It grew around the shrine of Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, and it is still a place of pilgrimage: cover shoulders and knees and keep your voice down.
10:30 — Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siyob Bazaar
A 15-minute walk brings you to Bibi-Khanym, the vast Friday mosque Timur ordered after his Indian campaign of 1398–99. It was one of the largest mosques of its age and is partly restored, so the scale is the point. Right next door is Siyob Bazaar: dried apricots, nuts, spices and round Samarkand bread (non), which locals buy here to take home. Bargaining is expected; start at about half of the first price and meet in the middle.
12:45 — Lunch: plov before it runs out
Plov is a lunch dish in Uzbekistan. Big plov centres cook it in the morning and often sell out by early afternoon, so do not leave it for dinner. A portion with bread, salad and tea is an inexpensive, filling meal.
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Plan my day14:30 — Gur-e-Amir
The ribbed turquoise dome of Gur-e-Amir covers the tomb of Timur (Tamerlane) and his descendants, including the astronomer-ruler Ulugbek. Inside, the walls are covered in gilded and painted decoration; Timur's grave is marked by a dark green jade slab. It is cool inside, which makes it a good stop for the hottest part of the day.
16:00 — Registan
Ten minutes' walk from Gur-e-Amir is Registan, the square of three madrasahs: Ulugbek (1417–1420), Sher-Dor (1619–1636), famous for the tiger-like lions on its portal, and Tilla-Kari (1646–1660), whose mosque interior is covered in gold. The ticket includes the courtyards and the small museums inside. Give it two to three hours and stay for sunset.
After dark the facades are floodlit. From about April to October there is a light show most evenings: roughly 20:30 in spring, 21:30 in summer and 20:00 in September and October. Seats cost extra (about 150,000 som), but you can watch for free from outside the seating area. Check the start time on the day.
Getting around
- Everything on this route is walkable: the old centre is compact, and the walk from Shah-i-Zinda to Gur-e-Amir is about 30 minutes in total.
- Taxis via Yandex Go are cheap. If the app rejects your foreign card, choose cash before you confirm the ride.
- Samarkand railway station is 6–8 km from Registan, so take a taxi to and from the train.
Good to know
- Best seasons are April–May and September–October. In summer midday heat often passes 35 °C, so plan indoor stops for the afternoon.
- Carry som in cash; card acceptance at ticket desks is not guaranteed.
- Dress modestly at Shah-i-Zinda and other religious sites; women may want a light scarf.
- If you have a second day: Ulugbek Observatory (75,000 som), the Afrasiyab Museum and the Meros paper mill in Konigil village are a good half-day taxi loop.
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